Thursday, February 20, 2014

Unique Celebration of Three Kings in Batanes

Christmas carols echoed eleven
days after Christmas. People garbed in their best winter get-up; armed with
tambourines, guitars and all sorts of musical stuff. Everyone was on their best
moods, like Christmastime. We were lost in all of the happenings that we stopped
for a while to regroup.

January 4. After three
days of our Batan Island stroll, we celebrated that night with some beers
trying to plan our Sabtang Island trip the next day. We were about to go home
and call it a day when we noticed a huge number of kids and adults who were
relentlessly singing Christmas carols in English, Tagalog and Ivatan
languages. We were taken aback for a moment.

A local came by enlightening
us on what was going on. Apparently, the Christmas season in Batanes doesn’t
end at New Year; it is extended up to the first Sunday of the year for the
Three Kings celebration. And that Sunday will be the next day. Light bulbs started
flickering as the guy told us the festivities the next day. We needed to change
plans immediately.

January 4: Christmas season is not yet over

We hanged out on this
coffee stand stationed at a very nice garden somewhere. We had some coffee and
chatted with the owner of the place. He was telling us about the next day’s
activities. The Santo Niño or the
Baby Jesus image will be brought down to the Poblacion from other Barangays. The locals from the other
places will flock there to witness the image as it goes to different houses.
Food will be everywhere and houses are open to everyone. We were excited on
this part.

As our Sabtang Island
trip the next day totally vanished, young kids who were seemingly tired (but
happy) from their caroling flocked in our tambayan
to grab some hot chocolate from the machine. This group of young girls seemed to be happy that they can’t stop yakking (in Ivatan language) about the night’s event. Judging from their
reactions, they were quite accomplished and just took a quick breather from the
endless caroling going on there. It was ten in the evening.

I tried to talk to them
and was glad to know that some could understand Tagalog. They started around seven in the evening and they’ve
already accumulated a huge bag of cash, candies and some knick-knacks. It’s
amazing how no one turned them down. Everyone would open their houses to this cute
ensemble. A little amount would suffice, even candies. It’s just so amazing how
this place would celebrate Three Kings like Trick or Treat.

And then they showed us
their bag of goodies; paper bills, some coins, candies, chocolates and many
more. Happy smiles on their faces as they got another coin to drop on the slot.
And as if they sensed that I’m a good person (ehem) they gravitated towards me which made the chat more intimate.
And then the younger one, Aiah, went to me and suddenly hugged me. I was
surprised with that gesture and hugged her back telling her that she’s so
adorable that I wanna take her home with me. She replied that although she
wanted to, her parents probably won’t allow her. She’s the cutest.

As they were about to go
back to their “caroling duties”, they stopped and offered some of their best
songs for the night. Me and my buddy sat on the bench and held on to our
coffees (our 3rd I guess) and listened to this wonderful kids. They
sang three Christmas carols; two of which in Tagalog and one in Ivatan.
And then I wished that the night won’t end yet. The voices of these kids plus
the chilly weather in Batanes were just divine. And then we handed them some
tokens for that performance. Aiah hugged me again and said goodbye. That was
just lovely.

Going back to our inn,
we still saw some groups who were tirelessly singing some carols. Like angels
in heaven; in their most fluffy suits ever. Imagine how good our sleep was that
night.

The next day we were
excited that we woke up a little late after lunch. After three days of non-stop
adventures we took this time to just chill and check out the day’s event.

We went out and saw a
huge number of people on the streets (a very unusual scene). We saw some
truckloads of books and goodies being given to the kids and a huge pile of
people in queue for something. And then someone mentioned that we should join
the crowd.

A little bit hesitant we
queued and followed the line. We registered and went inside this old house and to
our surprise, Sec. Butch Abad welcomed us. Yes, he’s an Ivatan. He handed out some five kilos of rice (we gave it afterwards to our landlady), canned goods, some
bread and the traditional Ivatan Vunung
meal of yellow rice and some carabeef dish wrapped in kabaya leaves. After some photo ops we went away with a huge load
of stuff with us.

People urged us to go to a famous politician's house to grab our gifts! :)

Our yummy late lunch was
revealed as we unwrap the kabaya
leaves one by one. Ate Marina of our lodge explained to us this traditional
meal. Yellow (turmeric) rice with carabeef
dish wrapped in this very durable leaf was our happy meal for the day. The
taste was ok but the feeling of having it on the town’s celebrated day was just
amusing.

Traditional Ivatan's Vunung meal

As if we weren’t tired
of eating we headed to another house (Ate Marina’s kin) to have dinner and
celebrated with the people there. Some guys were on this long table having some
celebratory drinking session, women were inside the house busy preparing dinner
and kids were preparing for the last night of their caroling shindig.

We were ushered inside
the house like we were some notable guests or something. And then they offered
some coffee. We exchanged stories with them as we sip our coffees. It was a
nice chat and we learned so much about Batanes and the Ivatan’s way of life.

It was nine in the
evening and we called it a day. We saw some kids still singing some Christmas
carols on the streets. And it’s not just your typical caroling; they sing it
with passion and enjoyment. You can totally feel it.

Our supposed trip to
Sabtang Island didn’t push through that day but we experienced one of the most
celebrated festivities in the town. Hanging out with the kids on the coffee
stand was one of my fondest memories in Batanes. And hearing the old folks as they
narrate to us their lives were equally memorable. And I am so looking forward
for my comeback. I’m gonna look for Aiah and the kids and the nice people we
met. Batanes should not only be remembered for the amazing landscapes but for
the Ivatans who unselfishly opened
their homes and hearts to us. Until then.

Breathtaking journey! ... full of thrill and drama. Your Batan journey is awesome and honestly, I did took some details and information during your trip. It helps me a lot. I am on stage of trip planning and getting all the details I could from small to overwhelming information about Batanes Island. Also gathering gadgets and needed equipment for my trip this year with my wife. Thanks for the infos and wishing you a good trip in Sabtang Island!